Water smoker grills are used along with barbecues to provide a different type of cooking method for meats and vegetables. It is well known that a water smoker grill uses some form of heat source, usually electrical, gas or charcoal, to boil water which then cooks the meat or vegetables in question. In order to add flavor to the food being cooked, flavored chips of varying types are placed in the heat source, and the smoke particles from these flavor chips then provide a pleasing smoky flavor to the food being cooked.
The heat source in the water smoker grills heats a pan of water which then boils, providing heat and moisture which aids in the cooking of the food in question.
Existing water smoker grills allow the water pan to be filled either through a side opening where water must somehow be poured into the pan or, as is frequently the case, the user simply raises the top or lid of the smoke grill and pours water down into the pan.
The difficulty with water smoker grills is that the water supply in the pan boils away, requiring the pan to be refilled periodically during the course of cooking. Whenever this must be done, the refill method is awkward and can result in water being poured on the food being cooked, or the water might partially go into the water pan and partially onto the heat source, thus extinguishing the heat source, or in the case of an electrical grill, water will fall upon the electrical element, potentially causing damage to the element. In addition, raising the lid of the water smoker grill lets heat out of the grill. Thereafter, for cooking to continue, the heat must build up inside the grill over a period of time. Thus, cooking is interrupted while water is being added to the water pan. Failure to refill the water pan at the appropriate time results in the food being over cooked and dried out.
What would be useful is a method of refilling the water pan such that water will not get onto the heat source, or the food during replenishment of the water supply. This would lend itself to a more even cooking of the food and would also allow the water smoker grill to cook in an unattended fashion for a longer period of time since water will not be needed midway through the cooking process.